“Shit,” I say, grasping the ties of my tunic. “It’s Hamid.”
Roshan hisses through his teeth, covering me from view with his body. “What is it?”
“Two of our men are down, Your Majesty,” Hamid says in a low tone. “There are soldiers here, we don’t know how many yet, but they’re fast and skilled. We need to get you back to Kaldari.”
Fumbling with my clothing, I sit up quickly and hop off the table. “We’re under attack? Here? Is my family safe?”
Hamid’s dark eyes meet mine. “Men are already in the tavern. There are... hostages, but I don’t know if any are your father or aunt. They’re demanding to speak to the king alone. I suspect it’s a thinly veiled ploy to draw His Majesty out.”
“Ro,” I say, stomach diving to my feet at the thought of Papa and Amma being in danger.Again.“I won’t run and leave them. We have to do something.”
His brow creases, but then he nods. “Hamid, take some men to the front. Have Clem man the windows. We can shut this down without any more casualties, if we are careful.”
“It’s too risky,” he begins, but is shut down by a ferocious glare from Roshan.
“Ro, it’s best if you go with Hamid,” I say, and lift my palms, flickers of magic sparking between my fingers. “I’ll stay behind and make sure they’re safe.”
“Not an option,” he says, banding a thick arm about my waist. “You stay with me. We do this together or not at all.” Sands, he’s so stubborn, but the truth is I’d refuse to leave him, too.
“They’re probably watching this entrance,” Hamid says. “It’s what I would do, and despite their skill, we don’t know if we’re dealing with seasoned assassins or simply disgruntled countrymen.”
“There’s a back way over there.” I point to a small trapdoor in the rear of the workshop. “It leads to a storage room, but there’s an exit near one of the old jadu mines.”
“That’ll do,” Roshan says, just as shouts and sparks light up the night. Magic arcs into the air from crossbows, thudding into the wood of the building, and I can see the ice spreading on the inside from the impact. Someone crashes against the door, and the sounds of clanging swords ensue. Orange flames shoot into the sky as the earth trembles.
“Go now!” Hamid says as the doors rattle. I don’t know when he locked them, threading a metal bar through the handles, but the workshop is secure for the moment.
The trapdoor is a tight fit for both men, but they manage to squeeze through before I yank it closed, throwing the inner bolts. Again, it won’t deter anyone for long, but it will buy us some time. The storage room is pitch-black and smells musty and unused, but I know the small space like the back of my hand. We quickly clear the way, shoving bags of sand, old tools, and metal sheets aside, before pushing on the doors leading up and out. They’re rusty and the creaking sound is loud. Hamid goes first—and the sounds of a scuffle instantly filter in.
“You stay here,” Roshan tells me. “I’ll go.”
Furious, I yank at his shirt. “I’m the Starkeeper. You’re the king, so you stay put.I’llgo.”
I’m out the door before he can argue or stop me with some horseshit overprotective chivalry. I’m the only one with natural magic here and he knows that. My starlight flies out of me toward the grappling shapes on the sand and identifies Hamid at the last second. It incapacitates the two other men immediately and soundlessly.
“Thanks. Are they dead?” he pants, limping back toward me.
“Unconscious,” I say, and glance over his shoulder, my magic lighting their faces. Both men are unfamiliar—neither of them looks like he’s from here. More sounds of conflict pierce the air, the noise of two swords loud in the night. “Roshan, the tavern!”
Panicked, I start to sprint toward it, ignoring his hushed warnings to wait. My magic crackles, the simurgh inside alert. There’s no movement around the back of the inn, and I signal to the two kingsguard to stay in their positions at the door. Clem is crouched near a side window, her weapons at the ready, and I run silently over to where she is.
“What’s the status?” I ask, just as she demands, “Where’s the king?”
“With Hamid,” I reply. “Behind me. How many assailants?”
“At least five,” she says, “with a dozen hostages in the main part of the tavern. Aran is in there, too.”
My stomach roils, though I know Aran can handle himself. While my magic is fueled by the raw akasha in my veins, he uses jadu—a crystal form of magic—to amplify his runes. He is a more than capable master runecaster.
Unless there are too many of them.
Clem had said at least five hostiles, but more could be hiding out of sight, biding their time. This whole offensive appears to have been orchestrated very carefully, which means whoever is the leader in there had to have had information from someone on our side who was privy to our plans. They had to have known that we were staying with a smaller contingent of guards. The knowledge is gutting—we have a traitor, and it could be anyone.
“And my father? Amma?”
“Both inside.” She turns to Hamid. “You need to take the king to safety. I’ll stay with Suraya and get the situation under control.”
“No!” Roshan snarls. “The Starkeeper does not leave my side.”
